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by AlexIsNotABrocoli
Summary: Ryan and Shane's notes on the bizarre cases studied on Buzzfeed Unsolved.
1. Vulture Mine

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Notes For Unsolved: Vulture Mine

Research notes for Supernatural Season 3 Episode 1

Posted onOct 10, 2017, 8:33:31 PM GMT

Unsolved Research Notes

BuzzFeed Staff

*Research compiled for Ryan Shane on July 26, 2016 by Alaina Rook.

Background/History

Vulture Mine is an abandoned gold mine located in Arizona's Sonoran Desert.

In 1863, Henry Wickenburg, who started out as a prospector during the California gold rush, found a quartz deposit with gold.

Shortly after, a mine was established there, which went on quickly to become Arizona's most successful gold mine at the time. According to areportby the Arizona Geological Survey, between 1863 and 1942, the mine produced over 340,000 ounces of gold and 260,00 ounces of silver,Estimates of how much the ore has been valued at range widely from$20 millionto$200 million, but it's safe to say that millions of dollars of gold were mined there. Just rounding from the value of an ounce of gold from what is wasvalued at the timemost of the gold was being mined, it would probably be accurate to say the more modest estimates are more realistic. But 340,000 ounces of gold now would bevaluedat $430,066,000!However, due theft, a lack of reliable water supply, and various financial scandals/setbacks, it is said that the minenever truly paid offfor its investors.By 1866 an accompanying mining settlement called Vulture City had been built to meet the needs of the many new miners.

Shortly after its founding, the town's population was as much as 5,000 residents.

Vulture City had establishments including a workshop, saloon, brothel, mess hall, and tennis court.

Because there was little fresh produce available in the desert, an agricultural center was built outside thanks to efforts of Vulture City residents, like Jack Swilling who reopened irrigation canals that had originally been built by the Native Americans of the Phoenix Valley.

Eventually the city of Phoenix, AZ grew out of this agricultural hub.

They also built a grain route which still exists today as Grand Avenue.

Vulture City is now a ghost town, which became defunct after the mines were closed due to World War II.

However, still existing is the other nearby town of Wickenburg, AZ, was also founded by Henry Wickenburg and fellow miners establishedaround the timethe first gold began being mined.

By 1891,Vulture City had begun to see a downturn in prosperity, as the vein of ores being mined in the main shaft seemed to abruptly stop.

The post office closed there in 1897 effectively serving as a "postmortem" though there would be numerous attempts to keep it open for the next few decades.

In 1942, the War Production board ordered all mines considered non-essential to the war effort to be closed.

While Vulture Mine appealed and continued to run for a short time after, the lack of men and resources forced it to close permanently within a few years. Vulture City was abandoned.According to legend, Vulture Mine got its name because on the day that Henry Wickenburg found the first gold at that location, there were several vultures circling overhead a nearby peak (now known asVulture Peak,in theVulture Mountains).

The peak and the mountain range were likely named after the mine (rather than the other way around).

There is another alleged version of the story of Wickenburg's discovery, saying he was out shooting, and found the gold beside one of the vultures he had felled.

The mine was recentlypurchasedbyVulture Peak Gold Inc.and its CEO,Rod Pratt

They are currently attempting to evaluate and mine the land again for gold using "environmentally friendly, portable heavy mineral extraction technology."

The "Vulture Peak Gold Mine" currently rests on 275 acres.

Up until it was bought, it appears to have been family-owned and operated, and people were allowed to do self-guided tours/hikes around the mine.

Additional Sources[1]

Mine Locations

There areseveral buildingsstill open for touring.

The Assay Building:A two-story lab and manager's office made of stone, adobe, metal, and concrete. Construction began in 1884. Here ore samples were assessed and Doré bars (bars of semi-pure gold and silver which can later be brought to arefinery) were produced. Also housed "a bullion room" (anunderground vaultintended to be forthe safe storageof precious metals), an office, and a company store.

The Cookhouse:However, the stove dates back to the 1600s and other artifacts such as a large ice box remain. A mess hall and saloon was also constructed in the 1890's, however, the roof collapsed during a storm.

Henry Wickenburg's cabin (under restoration):The 15 x 20 foot cabin was built in the summer of 1864. The roof also collapsed but some of the the stone and adobe walls still remain.

And of course,The Hanging Tree(see below). Although it is not on a map, sources say you can also hike tothe original school house(as well as a second schoolhouse that was built to accommodate the growing population which is now used for storage). There arerumors, that near the schoolhouse there may be "mass graves of children who died of a plague."

The Glory Hole

There is some contention over where Wickenburg first "stuck" gold within the mine's premises.

Some believe the concrete slab at the entrance of the main shaft of the Vulture Mine marks Wickenburg's first strike.

The mine's main shaft is reported to be 2,100 feet deep and falls at a 35% incline.

Near the entrance to the main shaft there is also the remains of a blacksmith shop.

Other sources say the site of Wickenburg's original gold strike is known asThe Glory Hole, which has since been sealed.

The Glory Hole is also a reported site oftragedy.

In 1923 this cavern collapsed after one of the stone support pillars was over-mined for the valuable ores inside of it.

Seven miners and 12 burros were killed.

Some say the Glory Hole was named for those who were "sent on to glory" in the incident, which brought over 100 feet of rock crashing down, and turned the cavern into a pit.

According to the mine's former caretaker,Marty Hagan, it is believed the collapse happened because those mining it were stealing from the mine, and thus, chipping away extra without regulating how much they were taking from the pillar.

Hagan claims that their bodies are still down there, both because their were buried, and because as thieves, recovering their bodies for a proper burial wasn't' a concern for the mine.

Hagan seems to be one the leading authorities on the supernatural element of Vulture Mine.

I believe this is Hagan's contact info: [redacted]Additional Sources[1[2]

The Hanging Tree

Perhaps the mosthauntedaspect of the mine is the notorious "Hanging Tree."

The tree is anOlneya tesota(also commonly known as an ironwood tree)

A horticulture evaluation estimates that the tree is between two to three hundred years old.

According to legend, as many as 18 miners were hung there from the 1860s to about 1900.

The crimes they are believed to have been accused of washigh-grading(which in this case, refers to the concealment or theft of gold/silver from the mine)

High-grading was so common that it isbelievedby some just as much gold/silver was stolen as was legally mined over the years it was open.

One of the most infamous alleged high-graders wasJacob Waltz, who was said to have worked as aforemanat the mine for several years.

Walz is better known as the "Lost Dutchman," and according to legend, in his later career as a prospector, he had a secret mine he would go out to somewhere in theSuperstition Mountains,where he would find huge quantities of gold.

Some believe that the gold he claimed to have found was actually stolen from the Vulture Mine during his time working there.

To this day no one knows the location of the "Dutchman's Lost Mine."

According to the owner of the Wickenburg Legends and Ghost Tours, Gloria Henkel, at the time Wickenburg/Vulture City was run by vigilante justice, and for many years, there wasn't an official law enforcement system.

She also says hangings at the time were known to be particularly brutal, due to the fact that the condemned person was either set on a mule or a rock, which was then kicked out from under him. Using this method, the amount of time it would take to die/suffocate could take between two minutes and two hours.

However,according tolocal historians Gary Carter and Joe Stephens, there are no news clippings or records of any deaths at the hanging tree, and say there is no substantial evidence to back up the hangings, much les the hauntings.

Slightly confusingly, there is also a second hanging tree in the town of Wickenburg known also as the "Jail Tree." (additional source)

According to legend, the town of Wickenburg didn't have an official jail of it's own, so criminals apprehended there would be shackled to the tree until law enforcement agents from Phoenix came to get them.

Allegedly, even using this method of jailing, they had no escapes.

Despite the fact that there doesn't seem to be any evidence that this tree was used for hangings, it is a location used by the "Wickenburg Legends and Ghost Tours."

They say of the inclusion of this location,"Criminals were chained to the tree and it is said that no one ever escaped. However, there may be more to the story."

Various Instances of Abnormal Activity

Some of the abnormal activity that has been reported around Vulture Mine include disembodied voices and the sighting of "spirit orbs."

Gloria Henkel (of Wickenburg Legends and Ghost Tours),claimsthat in one incident in which she was showing people around there at night, they were able to get recordings of voices speaking German in one of the closed, abandoned pits.

This is said to be notable because it is citing that as a native language of Henry Wickenburg, who was born inEssen, Prussia(now known as Germany)

Henkel also claims that "the Assay office" (presumably the same asthe Assay Building) there "is a very negative feel" in one corner where they were able to record a small voice telling them to "get out."

Henkel also mentions various "cold spots" that can be felt around the property (even when the temperature around is far over 100 F).

In 2009, a horror film calledThe Graveswas shot at Vulture Mine.

The 1980 movieNightkillwas also filmed there.

People who worked on the film reported a series of mysterious and supernatural events during the period they were filming.

Director Brian Pulido told that one night, a stranger walked onto the set with a rifle (though there were only a few security and production people on site at the time). The police came and stayed with the crew for the rest of the night, but the man with the rifle was never found.

There was a "cult" rumored to be living a few miles away from the set, and infer the stranger could have been a member of it.

Crew members noted that "eerie" things would happen near the entrance to the mine, which was one of the few places people could also get cell service so people often went there alone to make calls.

The location manager Mike Tank described an incident as he was leaving the mine's entrance, saying,"When I opened the door and went to get back in the car, I felt this tingling on my shoulder… And then it felt like somebody shoved me, really hard, right back down into my car."

Producer Brian Ronalds reported a similar strange occurrence in the same spot:"I'm sitting there, and I locked my truck doors, and all of a sudden, the locks came open again… Then I saw that my passenger door had popped open."

Near the old schoolhouse, the unit production manager Mark DuFour was on a golf cart making a call, and says when glanced in the rearview mirror he saw someone walking up behind the cart, but when he turned around, nobody was there.

There was also a commune across from the mine (it is not specified if it is different than the earlier mentioned nearby "cult").

Producer Brian Ronalds also reported that he believed a member of the commune may have trespassed the set and written threatening messages.

He says, "Across from the mine is this commune that doesn't use water or electricity... We came in one morning, and somebody had written 'Go home' on the wall in our fake blood."

Additional sources[1[2]

Henry Wickenburg's Tragic End

Born Johannes Henricus Wickenburg in Essen, Prussia (now Germany), in 1819.

He immigrated to the US, arriving in New York City in 1847.

Within a few years, he set out to be a gold miner in gold fields in California.

He became a naturalized citizen in 1853, which is around the same time he is believed to have moved to Arizona.

By 1862, he was working driving wagons in Tucson, before his landfall prospecting find the next year at Vulture Mine.

In the years that followed, Wickenburg established both the mine and the nearby town of Wickenburg (as well as helping to lay the ground for the growth of Phoenix).

He served as a judge, justice of the peace, school inspector, census taker, member of the seventh Territorial Legislature in 1873, and for a short time served as president of the local mining district.

He donated land for the town's first church.

However, he lacked the kind of money it would take to fully develop the mine.

In 1866, Wickenburg sold four-fifths (most) of his share of the Vulture Mine for $85,000 (though others report that number is$50,000)

Sold to the Vulture Mining Co., who mined it between 1867 and 1873.

In the deal, he got $20,000 in cash, but soonafter, he was reportedly "swindled" out of the rest, as the new owners refused to pay, claiming Wickenburg didn't have clear title to the mine.

Wickenburg would exhaust all his savings in legal attempts to collect the remainder, but failed.

After a flood destroyed his small farm, with his health deteriorating and penniless, Wickenburg is believed to have committed suicide, dying of a gunshot wound to the head on May 14, 1905.

He died in the in the shade of a mesquite tree on the bank of the Hassayampa River.

Though others say he killed himself near his homenear the hanging treeon the bank of the Hassayampa River.

This seems less plausible is because as the banks of the river are11 milesnorth of the mine.

Additional Sources[1[2[3]

GA Vulture Mine

According to former caretaker Marty Hagan, the assay building is where they would store all the gold in the vault

It's said that the assay building which was the target of many heist attempts by bandits, in fact anywhere beyond the perimeter of the mine was not safe.Legend has it that when they would hang people, sometimes they wouldn't bury them in a cemetery and would bury them on the spot, some believe that there are bodies all around the property.

There has been reports of rocks being thrown at investigators in the assay office as well as dirt falling from the ceiling as if someone was above them

Reportedly, the cavalry come into town to clean up the crime rate, but the cavalry was corrupt and therefore just as bad so they were told to leave.

There's apparently a bordello where a spirit named Mexican Rita is said to be active

There has been reports of voices in the generator building, the caretaker apparently heard, "I'm not free"

There was a schoolhouse on site to accommodate the families that actually lived on the mine. There has been reports of a figure being seen as well as a physical attack where an investigator was pushed.

There's also a supervisor or caretaker house

Video Source[1]

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	2. Keddie Cabin

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Notes For Unsolved: Keddie Cabin

Research notes for True Crime Season 2 Episode 9

Posted onOctober 13, 2017, at 6:37 a.m.

Unsolved Research Notes

BuzzFeed Staff

*Research compiled for Ryan Shane on December 16, 2016 by Kari Koeppel.

Contact info for Sheriff Hagwood (if you want to check on status of DNA results): [redacted]

The Murder

In 1981,four people were murderedat a cabin in Keddie, California, in Plumas County in the Sierra Nevadas.

The cabin was being rented by the Sharp family, who normally lived in the town next to Keddie - Quincy, CA, also in Plumas County.

The bodies were discovered by Sheila Sharp on April 12, 1981. She was 14 at the time.

She had slept overat a friend's cabin next door the night before.

Sheila found 3 bodies in her family's cabin, Cabin 28, at the Keddie resort: the body of her mother, Glenna Sue Sharp (called Sue), 36; her brother, Johnny Sharp, 15; and Johnny's friend Dana Wingate, 17. Research note: Dana was a boy

The bodies had been bound and it was clear that they had been handled extremely violently.

Sheila's 12-year-old sister, Tina, should have been present at the scene as well but was missing.

Johnny and Dana were found on the same living room floor, with their heads and necks bloody. Johnny was face-up. An electrical cord bound his hands and feet, and also bound Dana's feet.

Sue's hands and feet were bound by electrical wiring, and she was covered by a yellow blanket.

All three of the victims had been killed with knives and a hammer.

These weapons were found at the scene: A bent steak knife, found on the floor; a bloodied butcher knife, found on a small wooden table near the entryway to the kitchen; next to a bloodied claw hammer

Surprisingly, Sheila's two younger brothers, Greg (age 5) and Rick (age 10), as well as their friend Justin Smartt, were also found in a bedroom in the cabin - asleep, safe and sound.

When Sheila found her mother, brother, and brother's friend,blood had spattered onto the walls and ceilingbecause of the force used to kill them.

Sheila screamed upon the discovery of the body's, and her neighbor's brother heard the scream. He entered the cabin and was the one who found the young boys alive in the bedroom.

Finding TinaTina's skullwas foundabout 50 miles away 3 years later, in a whole other county, on the third anniversary of the murders, in 1984.

The tip was called in by an anonymous 911 caller, who identified the skull as Tina's… but how could they have known based on a skull alone?

The skull ended up being confirmed as Tina's through dental records.

This sourcesays Tina's skull was found 80 miles away in Butte County.

About Sue Sharp Her Children

Sue had left a broken marriage.

Sue Sharpwas described asa quiet woman, who was into her kids. Some people theorized that she may have been a drinker or done drugs, but people who knew her deny that.

She had moved her family to the area in 1980, a year before she was murdered.

Sue had been married to someone in the military, who Sheilaclaimshad been abusive to Sue, Sheila, and TIna.

Sue left him behind in Connecticut, where they had lived, to be near her brother Don in northern California. (This source says they moved in the late 1970s).

The Sharp family lived in relative poverty, according to Sheila.

Sheilareportsthat her mother was very caring, who did her best to raise five children alone.

Sue alsoreportedlyshowed kindness to those outside her family.

The Suspects Theories

Doug Thomas, then the Plumas County sheriff leading the investigation,told People Magazinein 2016: "Whoever did this — and there was more than one person — had to have blood all over them."

Most Plausible Theory: Marty Smartt Bo Boubede[See: Recent Updates for more]Themain suspectsduring the investigation were Marty Smartt and his friend and roommate, "Bo" Boubede. Bo was an ex-con.

Marty lived 2 cabins down from the Sharps. He was married to Marilyn Smartt, the mother of Justin Smartt, the surviving friend of young Greg and Rick.

Marty's marriage to Marilyn was reportedly troubled, and Sue Sharp had reportedly interfered with their marriage.

Former sheriff Doug Thomas said, "There were some theories that [Marty's friend] Boubede was involved, and there was some theories that some other people in Keddie were involved." [Of Marty and Boubede] "The only thing I knew is, they hung out together. We questioned them extensively."

Both Marty Smartt and Bo Boubede are both now dead. Marty died in 2006, and Bo died in 1988.

It'sbelievedthat Sue had been counseling Marilyn Smartt about her abusive husband, Marty, and that he "went ballistic" about it.

Martyreportedlyleft Keddie for Reno, Nevada soon after the murders, writing a letter to his wife that was only just recently re-discovered by investigators[see: Recent Updates]

Law Enforcement Cover-Up Theory

Popular Keddie cabin murder theory websiteKeddie 28, which current investigators have credited with helping keep the story alive, supports the idea that there was police cover-up involved, claiming that the then-sheriff was friends with Marty Smartt.

There aretheories onlineabout a possible coverup by law enforcement in the Keddie cabin case. Current Sheriff Hagwood acknowledges and even appreciates them, saying:

"That discussion will continue to be there. We have to stay focused on what we're doing now and how it will bring us closer to answering the question of who and why… It has brought to light some amazing timelines, histories, and what some may call 'coincidence' and others may look at more accusingly… I don't put anything outside the realm of possibility."

Former sheriff Doug Thomas, who was sheriff at the time of the murder (but left for a new job at the California Department of Justice soon after), is a suspect in the minds of many online theories. He acknowledged that to People Magazine, and said:

"There was no shortage of suspects, but suddenly now everybody 35 years or so later have all figured out what happened, and that all of the investigating officers were corrupt. It's laughable, is what it is… Martin Smartt was not a friend of mine. At one point he and his wife were having marital problems and they came to my office when I was sheriff and wanted me to counsel them. First of all, I had just gone through a divorce at that time. I told them, 'Why would you want me to counsel you?'"

Former Sheriff Thomas did say that he did give that one "session" of advice to the Smartt couple, which took place before the murders.

Marilyn Smartt does not recall meeting with her husband and the sheriff, but said that the two were not friends to her knowledge.

"Why that that sat in a sealed evidence envelope, never opened, I don't have the answer to that. But we have it now." - Sheriff Hagwood on the tape of the anonymous phone callAs of 2001, the father of Dana Wingate (the friend who was also killed)believedthat the police had "stumbled over each other and fouled up the case."

Anti-Sue Sharp TheoriesAccording to internet theories, Sue reportedly dated frequently and had reportedly been in an abusive relationship soon before her murder.

"In her book, Sheilawrote, "My mom's character has been subject to all manner of cruel supposition including accusations that she was a drug addict, drug dealer, prostitute, or at the very least an unfit mother.""

Cabin 28: Haunted?There arereportsof Cabin 28 at the Keddie Resort Lodge being haunted, after what happened there.

It had previously been a popular resort, and now it's "a ghost town."

A psychic said that the ghosts are probably still in shock from being murdered and haven't moved on yet.

Recent Updates To The Case

Reopening the case

Both of the current investigators, Mike Gamberg and current sheriff Greg Hagwood,have a personal connectionto the victims and the case.

Hagwood went to school with Johnny and Dana before they were killed, and they had worked a summer job together on a painting crew. Hagwood's mother had taught Tina in school. And Hagwood had also stayed in Cabin 28 previously, as a guest of the former tenants.

Gamberg had taught Johnny and Dana martial arts.

Hagwoodtook over the role of Sheriffin 2010, and he brought Gamberg out of retirement in June 2013 to help finally solve the case.

Gamberg had worked at the sheriff's office at the time of the murders, but had not worked the case at the time.

He had twice been fired and twice been reinstated at the sheriff's office.

New EvidenceThe first thing Gamberg did after being put on the case was organize boxes of case reports and evidence, and he soon found this letter from Marty Smartt to his wife Marilyn, reportedly written soon after the murders.

Hereportedly wrote, "I've paid the price of your love now that I've bought it with four peoples lives, you tell me we are through. Great! What else do you want?"

Marilyn does not recall ever receiving the later. She has since remarried.

She reportedly learned of the letter years afterward, but recognized her ex-husband's handwriting.

The current sheriff's investigator, Mike Gamberg, also recently spoke to Marty's former therapist in Reno, Nevada, to whom he allegedly confessed the murders.

The therapistreportedlytold Gamberg that he was surprised that the investigators at the time of the murders hadn't used that confession against Marty.

Soon after it became public knowledge that they had reopened the case, Gamberg found out that a man had found a steel, blue-handled claw hammer using a metal detector near a pond near Keddie. The hammer matched the description of one that Marty had told investigators he'd lost. As of late November 2016, it was being tested for DNA or blood residue as a possible additional murder weapon.

Tina's skull was found on the third anniversary of the murders, in 1984.

The tip was called in by an anonymous 911 caller, who identified the skull as Tina's… but how could they have known based on a skull alone? The skull ended up being confirmed as Tina's through dental records.

Gamberg believes that the anonymous caller must've been either involved or tipped off.

The audio tape of that 911 call is now being compared with audio of suspects, looking for a match.

Sheriff Hagwood told People:

"There are people locally who know more than they've said, and I believe we've identified some of them, and we know who they are, and we know where they are. And I have every confidence that they either participated after the fact or they have first-hand information… It's obviously a worthwhile pursuit. There is not an expiration date on homicides, and to the extent that we have surviving siblings and family members, it is our fundamental obligation to them to understand who did this and why."

He believes they are closer to solving the case than ever before.

On why the 911 voice recording had never been voice-analyzed,Sheriff Hagwood saidthat this was "an opportunity that just hasn't existed. Why that that sat in a sealed evidence envelope, never opened, I don't have the answer to that. But we have it now."

In late November 2016, Sheriff Hagwood said of the Marty Smartt/Bo Boubede theory:

"It's a theory that we are working, to the degree possible, to conclude or dismiss. There's a disproportionate amount of evidence and information that tends to point in that direction."

There are at least 6 individuals who, as of late November 2016, are believed to have either "participated after-the-fact or they have firsthand information."

All 6 are still alive.

Sheriff Hagwood said: "I believe they at minimum have firsthand information, and at a maximum participated in or assisted in destroying evidence and disposing of Tina's remains."

It's possible that even if the case is solved, no one will be charged. But Sheriff Hagwood hopes it will offer the surviving Sharp family members closure:

"I really believe that it would give the family some kind of closure, if you would call it that. At least they will know, and maybe I will have confirmed their suspicions from the very beginning. That in itself is solving the case. They know that somebody never gave up on it."

Another knife was alsorecently foundnear the murder scene.

The knife, voice recording, and hammer are currently with the FBI being analyzed.

Why Now?

The reason why Sheriff Hagwood reopened the case:

"There were many, many years when little or nothing was done on investigation. It's obviously a worthwhile pursuit. There is not an expiration date on homicides, and to the extent that we have surviving siblings and family members, it is our fundamental obligation to understand who did this and why."

It's possible that the case may not have been as looked into at the time because the Sharp family may have been seen as lower class.

Keddie and nearby Quincy are located in the Sierra Nevada and had previously had successful timber and mining industries, but those had declined by the time the Sharps moved there in 1980, only a year before the murders.

Sheriff Hagwood said —

"Especially in today's environment, because somebody may be looked down upon as socially marginalized, economically marginalized… There are people who lived in our community who rightfully deserved, and should expect, the same level of service and commitment… You cannot differentiate based on social status. If you do, you've forfeited the underlying principle of why we're here."

Investigator Mike Gamberg said of the murders, "It struck this community harder than anything."

Sheila TodaySheilais now 50 and marriedto Richard Whittle, with three children and two grandchildren.

Sheilasaid of the case, "I gave up. I pretty much thought, I'm going to my grave not knowing."

Of the recent developments by Sheriff Hagwood, Sheila said, "Finally, I have somebody who cares."

In 2012, Sheila co-wrote a book with her husband called How to Survive Your VIsit to Earth. It was partially a memoir, and partially a self-help book.

The book discussed Sheila's personal belief that the murders were carried out by Marty Smartt and Bo Boubede, because Sue had counseled Marilyn Smartt against Marty.

Sheilasaidof Sheriff Hagwood's recent work:

"In the last three years, he's done more than the Plumas County Sheriff's Office has done in the previous 32 years."

After the murders, Sheila, Greg, and Rick (the surviving Sharp siblings)were sentto live with an aunt outside of California. However, that didn't last long as the aunt already had several children and couldn't support them all.

They were later placed in foster care. At first the siblings were kept together, but later they were separated.

Sheilasaidof how her surviving younger brothers coped with their mother and siblings' deaths:

"We sheltered them. I became their mother, and it's hard for me to step back and be a sister, 'cause that's what I am — I'm their sister, I'm not their mother, and they need to make their own choices."

Sheiladoesn't rememberdiscovering her family with much detail:

"The most vivid image I have is of my brother laying there. The neighbors say I came back screaming. They said I said it was Johnny. But I don't remember that… It's a little bit confused. It could have been that I blocked it out, and the shock of it all, too."

"There's times I think, Gosh, should I go get hypnotized to see what I remember? But do I really want to remember? ...I want to remember the happy times."

The cabinwas demolishedin 2004.

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	3. Goatman's Bridge

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Notes For Unsolved: Goatman's Bridge

Research notes for Supernatural Season 3 Episode 4

Posted onNov 3, 2017, 6:52:15 PM GMT

Unsolved Research Notes

BuzzFeed Staff

*Research compiled for Ryan on August 9, 2017 by Kari Koeppel.

Old Alton Bridge, Old Alton Road, Denton, TX 76210

The Bridge Itself

Old Alton Bridge is one lane, 145 feet long, 14 feet wide, and runs east-west.

It is no longeroperatingas a working bridge, but it is still open to pedestrians.

It was built in1884, with the final inspection and approval of the bridge occurred on September 22, 1884.

It is Denton County's oldest remaining Pratt-truss iron bridge (one of the most popular styles of bridge in Texas, as well as the rest of the US in that time period), and one of theoldestin the state.

It is also known as the Copper Canyon Road Bridge, because the road crossing the street was called Copper Canyon Road. It is now located off Old Alton Road (presumably named for thebridge).

The bridge was reportedly built from a kit provided by the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company of Cleveland.

The Old Alton Bridge was originally built toconnectthe town of Alton to Denton over Hickory Creek, a tributary of the Elm fork of the Trinity River. It is a wooded, rural setting. The bridge was part of the main road from Denton to Dallas.

Alton was a tiny town that originallyconsistedof one person when it was established in 1848. It was chosen as the legal center of Denton County.

After the county seat was moved to Denton, residents of Alton moved to other towns, and Alton eventually disappeared.

The bridge was originally placed near Alton, despite the fact that it was a diminishing community, because the county hoped that the road and bridge would help reinvigorate the town. It did not work.

The bridge then connected Denton to Copper Canyon.

According to the bridge's application for the National Register of Historic Places, the bridge was "a sign of modernity and permanency."

In 1988, the Old Alton Bridge was placed on theNational Registerof Historic Places for its architecture and engineering. The National Register of Historic Placeslistsits period of significance as 1875-1899.

At the time of its being placed on the National Register for Historic Places, the bridge was technically on US Army Corps of Engineering property, although the bridge itself did not belong to them.

Because the Old Alton Bridge was only one lane, drivers would have to honk their horn when they got on the bridge to give a warning that they were crossing the bridge.

In 2001, the vehicular use of the bridge was replaced by anewadjacent concrete and steel bridge.

In 2012, Old Alton Bridge wasnameda Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.

It is now ahikingarea.

The Legend Behind The Bridge

About 50 yearsafter the bridge was built (so in the 1930s), an African American man named Oscar Washburn and his family lived in Denton, TX, reportedly near the bridge.

He was a successful goat farmer, who became locally known as the Goatman.

Reportedly at one point he put a sign on the Old Alton Bridge advertising his business (which was near the bridge) that read, "this way to the goat man's."

LocalKu Klux Klanmembers were reportedly threatened by his success.

In August 1938, Klansman reportedly forcefully took Washburn from his home to the bridge, and hung him with a noose from the side of the bridge.

However, when they looked down the side of the bridge to view Washburn's body, it had reportedly disappeared from the noose, which caused the Klansman to panic.

They then returned to Washburn's home and killed the rest of his family.

Washburn's body was reportedly never seen again.

This is all just alegend, as there is no historical record corroborating the story.

The Haunting Of The Bridge

According tolore, Oscar Washburn - or the Goatman - now haunts Old Alton Bridge (sometimes colloquially called Goatman's Bridge, especially on the internet).

Legend has it that over the years since his murder/disappearance, many abandoned cars have been found on the bridge (when it was still operating as a vehicular bridge), as well as several reports of missing people who were never found. (Research note: could not corroborate this with a good source, should state as rumor)

Others have reported hearing strange noises such as laughing, growling, horses' hooves (Research note: or goat hooves?), or splashes in the water below.

Sightings of a ghostly figure appearing on the bridge have been reported, including some saying that the apparition was that of a half-man, half-goat being.

People say it is most common to see the Goatman aroundHalloween, and that he has "glowing, empty eyes."

Others have reported seeing the ghostly figure of a woman, and hearing a woman's voice or laughter.

There have also been sightings of strange lights.

One womanreportedseeing an orange light that expanded into a long beam shooting straight into the air for several seconds before disappearing, with this phenomenon repeating itself twice.

This same woman reports using a K-II meter on Old Alton Bridge to ask the spirit there what gender it was, getting the result several times that the spirit was a woman.

There are manyreportingsof paranormal activity on the bridge.

People have reported a growling voice telling them to "get off the bridge."

One person said that after he and his friend heard the voice, he ran off the bridge while his friend stayed. He then reportedly watched his friend get dragged towards the railing of the bridge and flipped into the water below.

Visitors havereportedan "odd energy" in the area.

People have reported hearing hooves following them across the bridge, as if they were being chased off.

There is no photographic evidence of the Goatman apparition.

Oneblogsays that knocking three times on the bridge may summon the spirit. (Research note: I did not read this anywhere else, but it couldn't hurt to try?)

Severalsourcesreport a variation on: if you honk your car horn twice (some versions say three times) towards thebridge(since cars can no longer go on the bridge itself), the glowing eyes of the Goatman will appear.

Oneversionsays that this should happen at midnight.

Anothercommonstory(Research note: which lacks detail) is thatSatanicrituals would take place on or near the bridge.

Some versions of the Goatman story have the Ku Klux Klan being involved in Satanic rituals, or that the Satanic rituals were what summoned the half-man, half-goat spirit, separate from the story of Oscar Washburn.

Fun Facts

Reportedly, a stretch of highway near the Old Alton Bridge has been adopted by the Denton County Paranormal Investigators.

Satanistsopened up a portal that released this inhuman demonic entity that is half man half goat.

Knocking 3 times summons the goatman

Folklore often refers to bridges as portals crossing over into different dimensions.

Ghost Adventures

Investigator claims she saw the goatman appear on the shore when doing an EVP in the middle of the bridge

The forest is rumored to have occultists and satanists attempting to conjure demonic forces in the forest, a paranormal investigator claims to find evidence of animal sacrificial rituals

Multiple women claim they were scratched 3 times, a mocking of the holy trinity

multiple instances of women claiming they feel strong feelings of aggression, one instance a woman envisioned murdering her fellow investigators.

3 different investigators picked up on an entity calling itself Steve

An entity in the forest seems to go after women

This entity is violent, and has gotten physical with people who encounter it.


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